Patients of Marana dental clinic in Jan.-July 2010 may be at risk

TUCSON - If you were seen at a Marana dental office in the first six months of 2010, the Health Department wants to hear from you.

The Pima County Health Department is currently contacting 174 dental patients who were seen at the 'T Dental Clinic' at 3662 W. Ina Road in Marana between January and July of 2010, because they may have been exposed to blood borne diseases like Hepatitis or HIV. This is a precautionary measure and at this time no cases of transmission of disease have been identified.

The Health Department is working to contact all patients who may have been exposed, which appears to be limited to a pool of 174 individuals based on dental records. However, if you were a patient of the T Dental Clinic between the time of January and July 2010 and have not yet been contacted, please call the health department at (520) 243-7808 for specific guidance.

"At this time we are trying to help provide residents with sufficient information so they can take the appropriate steps to feel secure about their health. The only individuals at risk for infection are those who were seen at T Dental Clinic during a very specific period of time," said Dr. Francisco García, Public Health Director. "Although medical and dental offices are not regulated by the County Health Department, we believe it is important to to inform the public about this possible health risk."

The potential exposure may have been the result of improperly installed dental equipment, but at this time there is no evidence that patients were exposed to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV. However, the Health Department strongly recommends the people who have been contacted make an appointment with their primary care physician to test for these diseases. Patients of the T Dental Clinic who have questions or may need a referral on where to get tested are advised to speak with Health Department staff by calling (520) 243-7808 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Pima County Health Department has partnered with the Arizona Department of Health Services to look into the incident and contact patients of the dental office. The T Dental Clinic is no longer in practice, closing operations around the time of July 2010.